Parallel
by auslly-is-adorkable
Summary: (RE-UPLOAD) Ross and Laura go through the motions of individual interviews and it hits them harder than before. (Two-shot) *I do not own characters or affiliates*
1. Chapter 1

"Hey, Laura," the woman greeted her, giving her a small hug. Laura smiled her signature grin, her lips parting and showing her perfectly white teeth.

"Hey!"

"I'm Ella. Even though we've just met, I feel like I already know you!" She chuckled at Laura who laughed.

"I know, I hear that a lot. I'm pretty much an open book, which I guess is why." She tucked her hair behind her ears.

"Well let's get settled. When the camera's on, I'll ask you a series of questions for you to answer and... well I'm sure you know how interviews work," she finishes, laughing again.

Laura laughs again, too. She wasn't sure how she even managed to do all of these interviews with out sounding dull and boring. She always tried to spice it up a bit, make it seem more interesting. She really wanted her fans to get _her_ not what it _seemed _like she was. "Yeah, I understand. I mean, if it fails we could just go to lunch," she jokes, still laughing.

"Sounds good," Ella agrees. Ella is pretty, dark blonde hair and bright green eyes. She was a little bigger than Laura, height and width. She wore flats and full-length black leggings. She had a loose white tee with a denim vest, deliberately uneven. She looked to be in her early 20s.

"Okay," she says again. "I'll just introduce you."

The camera light flashed and Laura looked towards it, preparing herself for her second interview this week. She loved doing them, truthfully, she was just a little worried about the questions she'd ask.

"Hi there," Ella says. "You're watching Ella Talks and today I'm interviewing_ Austin & Ally_'s Laura Marano."

"Hi guys," Laura said to the camera, smiling again. She found herself smiling a lot when it wasn't necessary and her face hurt afterwards.

"Well, Laura, how are you today?"

"I'm wonderful, Ella, how are you?"

"Good! Well Laura, now that _Austin & Ally _has been renewed for a third season, where do you think the Austin and Ally off-and-on relationship will be headed?"

Ah, a repeated question. "Well," Laura begins, getting appropriately excited. "I can't give anything away, partly because I don't want to spoil the finale and partly because I don't even know yet. But I _hope _that Austin and Ally's relationship as friends remain even if their romantic relationship doesn't work."

"I hope so, too," Ella gushes.

"I mean, they're like the "power couple of Disney", right? I saw people refer to them as that. And people call them Auslly and I think it's adorable, personally. I think that they're meant to be, even if they're not... together, I guess."

"And I know a lot of fans tweet about it, right? Like you're at almost half a million Twitter followers alone and we see that a lot of them are about the shipping."

Laura internally cringes. Her smile never fades, though. The shipping conversation was one she had hoped to avoid, but was sure Ella wouldn't let that be the case. "Yeah, it's adorable," she answered truthfully. "I think it's funny how dedicated they are. I wouldn't have imagined in a million years having this many fans that were so dedicated!"

"And you know about the 'Raura' pair right?"

"Haha, yep." Of course she knew.

"A lot of people think you and your costar Ross would be the perfect couple." _Tell me something I don't know_, Laura thought. "And there are others that don't, too. They think that Ross and his Teen Beach Movie costar Maia Mitchell would be perfect." _I know_. "It's called the Raura vs. Raia wars, I guess." _Mhm_.

"Haha, I know! It's ridiculous. Even though Ross and I are just friends and Maia is in a relationship with another guy, they ship it anyway. Which is fine, I mean it's not like it's never happened, right. But they also don't seem to get that Maia and I are friends, which is the worst part. They think that we fight over Ross or something and we don't." Laura laughs again.

"I think that's great," Ella exclaims. "Here's a question, though: with all of the Teen Beach Movie promotion, does your relationship with either of them get hard to maintain?"

_Oh_. That wasn't a question Laura was prepared for. "What do you mean?" she skillfully stalled.

"Well Ross is always with Maia now. They're both in Australia. How do you deal with that, especially when he isn't there to film the show with you, Raini and Calum."

"It's hard, I'll admit. But we're all still close as ever. It's not like he suddenly quit the show, he has other parts of his career to fulfil and when he is here, it's like a family on set. Plus, Maia has _The Fosters _to film – a great show by the way, I absolutely love it – and she'll be back soon, too." How come no one understood that Laura was okay with the situation?

"So it doesn't bother you that they're really close?"

"No, should it? I know there's nothing going on between them and there's nothing going on between us. The only person who could be worried is Maia's boyfriend and truthfully, he shouldn't be. They're just friends. We're all _just friends_."

"Well it's a cute friendship, yours and Ross, anyway."

"The best," Laura confirms. She wonders if the interview is live.

"So we have a few questions from Twitter for you," she says.

So it is live. "Great," she says excitedly, though she's finding it harder to pretend like she isn't growing increasingly angry.

"So the question is 'Laura, what's great about working with Ross?'"

_Ha_. "Well," she chuckles. "He's really funny and talented and always gives us a reason to smile. Sometimes he's the comedic relief of the group and sometimes he's the down-to-earth guy you want to get advice from because it's usually really helpful. And even though he doesn't tweet it much, he's really thankful to have the show." She smiles, proud of her answer.

"'What's Ross' best feature?'"

_Shoot_. "He's so sweet. He's really nice and fun and he always makes sure everyone knows that he loves them." She thinks for a moment. "Oh, if you meant physical feature, his eyes."

_Next question, please._ "How's your relationship with Raini or Calum?"

Her face lights up. "Raini is probably like my best friend right now," she answers truthfully. "We're always hanging out and if we're not, then we're texting. Sometimes when the four of us are out, we text each other even though we're beside each other. It makes the guys mad," she laughs. "And Calum, he's absolutely hilarious. When we went to Vancouver a few years back, he was chatty the whole flight. It's probably because of him that I love bad jokes so much. Plus, on his new show, CopperTop Flop, his genuine hilarity is so transparent, it's like hanging out with him without actually being there. He's great."

"'Would you be up for another season of _A&A _after season 3?'"

"Of course!" She really would. "Give us another 5 seasons, I'm ready. I think the show could really go that far, but I don't know how far Disney wants to take it. Hopefully further, though, for sure."

Ella smiles. "'What's your favourite show right now?'"

"Oh my goodness, I'm loving my sister, Vanessa's show _Switched At Birth_ and Maia's show _The Fosters_. I really don't watch TV that much, though."

"'What's the number one quality you look for in a guy. One.'"

She sighed, laughing. "I don't know. I have like 3 or 4 musts, but _1_? Maybe if he accepts that he isn't perfect and doesn't strive for perfection. Even though I'm a perfectionist, I don't try to make myself perfect, you know?"

"'Would you ever consider dating Ross?'"

Silence. Laura, screaming in her head and still in real life, shifts her head to make it look like she's thinking about answering the question and not how to leave the interview right at the moment.

She then decides that wouldn't work. "I've considered dating George Clooney," she deflects.

"But would you date Ross?" Ella asks. Laura notes that that wasn't a question from the tablet, but one of her own.

She takes a deep breath. "I don't know."

"Why not?"

_Shh_. "Because I've never really thought about it," she lies slyly.

"Really?"

"Well I mean, it isn't a good idea right now, and our feelings are as they were before and we're friends right now."

Ella cocks her head to the side and Laura realizes that she's being told to wrap up. She looks to the camera. "Well, folks, you heard it here! Laura answered some of your questions and you can catch her on Disney's _Austin & Ally_ on Sundays. This is Ella."

The buzzer sounds, and Laura quickly checks her phone, pretending to receive a text. "Thanks for the interview, Ella," she smiles. "But I have to go, family emergency."

"No problem, Laura, come back anytime!" Ella hugs her.

"Of course," she laughs. "Bye guys."

She sees herself out of the building, rushing herself to her car. She pulls out of the lot and drives a good block away before parking the car in the parking lot of a nearby mall. She sits back. She can't believe that she just lied through her teeth to all of her fans and to Ella. Of course she was kind of jealous of Ross being in Australia with Maia, but as she told Ella, Maia _does _have a boyfriend and they are friends, so she didn't lie that much at all. She didn't worry about them together.

She _has _considered dating Ross and he has almost all of the qualities she looks for in a guy. Definitely the top 3 or 4 _musts_. His eyes _were _the best part about him. He is a sweetheart. But when she asked if she would consider it the second time, Laura wanted so badly just to say 'yes'.

But she couldn't say it because he meant too much to her to let go again and when he gets home she's going to demand they see each other, even if it _is _on the show. And she is going to make sure there's at least _one_ picture of them together at the Teen Choice Awards and she will post it on Twitter for the fans that are waiting for something like that.

Because no one else knows what it's like waiting for someone who's waiting for them. A parallel world they're both stuck in, Ross and Laura. A world that only the Raura shippers live in, where the King and Queen aren't together, but still rule the kingdom, because no one wants them together more than they want to be together.

Laura couldn't help the tear that rolled down her cheek because she wanted nothing more than her king to text her from Australia and tell her he missed her. And Ross stared at his phone every free moment that he wasn't spending with Maia, his family or at special premiers, because he wanted nothing more than his queen to text him and tell him she missed him.

But that will never happen because this is real life and life's an everlasting parallel.


	2. Chapter 2

_Hey guys. So I was surprised by the number of reviews in one night that were begging for a two-shot, so I made one. There won't be other chapters. This is how it ends. I hope you guys like it, and this idea was inspired by _Thejhamham_'s idea, where Ross gets interviewed._

_ If you have Twitter, you should follow me (or at least tweet me)! :) _yayamypower

_Thanks for reading!_

Ross smiled at the girl in front of him, who's name he knew as Ella. This would be his interview this week so he was excited. He was just really glad to be back in California.

"Hey, there, Ross," she greeted. "I'm Ella." Ross knew that Ella was becoming an increasingly popular web blog so he was flattered to be one of her first celebrities.

"Hey," he laughed. "I'm Ross."

She laughs, too. "Great. So I'm sure you know how this works, right?" she asks.

"I'm pretty familiar with the process," he jokes.

She grins and gestures to him to sit on the small white loveseat while she seats across from him in a matching chair.

She sets up her tablet.

"In 5, 4," a voice calls. Ross turns to the camera. The light blinks.

"Hey there guys," she says. "You're watching Ella Talks and I'm here today with _Teen Beach Movie _star, Ross Lynch."

He really wished everyone would stop referring to him as the guy from that movie. Yeah, that's his most recent project, but he _is_ also in his band and _Austin & Ally_. He doesn't really get the chance to talk about it.

"Hey," waves, smiling.

"So Ross, how does it feel to be a TV actor, a movie actor, a dancer _and _a singer?"

"Well, it gets difficult," he tells them truthfully. "I mean, getting sick is a rare occurrence for me but when it does happen it puts me out of commission for a while. It sucks when it happens though, for sure."

"So the pressure kind of gets to you?"

"Sometimes," he admits. "but the positives outweigh the negatives 100 percent."

"Well that's good, as long as you balance it." He nods. "So Ross, we have a few questions coming in from fans."

_That's original_, he thinks. He almost chuckles at himself but stops. "Great," is all he says happily.

"The first question is, 'what's it like being in a band with your family?'"

"It's the best," he tells her. "Because there's no chance of us breaking up and becoming solo artists. Even though I'm signed to both Disney and Hollywood Records, it doesn't change anything about the way my family plays. And while we're all very much aware that Ellington isn't actually part of the family, he still is. It's the best, being able to just hang out and share doing what you love with the people you love."

"Awe." Ross chuckles. "'What's it like working with the cast on _Austin & Ally_?'"

"It's great, the energy is really great. Like when we come to work, it doesn't really feel like work because they're like my second family. And usually my actual family comes with me to the set and we all just kind of hang out – usually in Calum's dressing room, actually – and chill. Both of my families are with me and it's the best thing. All three of the cast members are equally great."

"'Would you be open to another season after 3?'"

"I think, yeah. Yeah I would. The show is really popular, much more than I thought it be, honestly, and it's the best feeling. I don't know how it'll work if there _is _another one, because of the other aspects of our careers, right. Like R5, Calum's new show, Laura is constantly doing charity and award shows and recording her own music. And Raini has also started recording. I do hope we get at least a fourth season, though."

"'What's it like working with Laura?"

_Damn it. _Ross had hoped to avoid that question. Looks like he wasn't going to be able to. He had to play it off, though. "Ah, Laura's great," he tells her wholeheartedly. "She's really nice and funny. Adorkable, actually. I called her that once on our live chat. She's just really sweet and full of energy."

"'What's it like working with Calum and Raini?'"

"They're honestly, just like so much fun. Calum in real life is really laid back – not like his character on _Austin & Ally_. Except, he's also _really _funny. It's like a sophisticated funny. And Raini, she's a really good friend. My partner in crime. Our relationship in real life is much like ours in the show, except I'm smarter than Austin and she doesn't tell me as much. They're both extraordinary people."

"So we assume you've heard about a lot of your fans pairing you with people. Shipping, I guess."

_Sigh. _"Yep, of course," he tells Ella. "It isn't exactly news. It's literally impossible to go online and _not _see tweets or tags in Instagram photos about it."

"I know that the most popular ones are you and Laura and you and your _Teen Beach Movie _costar, Maia Mitchell."

_Yep. _"Yeah, Raura and Raia."

"You know the names?"

"Definitely. If you're being shipped you usually know the names. I think it's funny. I've actually asked people before, even at R5 concerts, who they want to get together, me and Laura or Austin and Ally. The Raura response is far bigger than anything else. I don't really ask about Raia though, out of respect to Maia and Ramy, her boyfriend. A lot of people don't seem to realize that they are together, and _really _happy, too. Maia has said herself that she doesn't like our ship name, it sounds ridiculous to her. I like the names, I think it's cute people care that much. But then again, I'm a romantic."

"Who could you see yourself being with? Maia or Laura?"

Possibly the worst question he could have been asked. "Well," he laughs. "Probably Laura, but because Maia _is _in a relationship. She's a few years old and is with someone her age. Also, because I've known Laura longer and we're really good friends... But that's all it is. The three of us are really close actually."

"So another question, 'would you be up for a _Teen Beach Movie _sequel?'"

"I would, definitely. We certainly left it open for one. And the ratings were great. I'm not sure it'll work, but I hope that if it's an idea, it's as great as the first one. It'll be hard to top those songs though, right? They were pretty fun."

"Which was your favourite?"

"Cruisin' for a Bruisin', for sure," he answers matter-of-factly. "I loved dressing up in the leather and dancing and being over-dramatic."

"Okay, Ross, one last question. 'What's Laura's best quality?'"

_Uh... _"Physical or personality-wise?"

"Either. Both. Whichever."

"Uh, well she's honestly _so _kind. There isn't a day that goes by that she doesn't make us smile. She's really nice and it's refreshing." He thinks for a moment. "...best physical feature would probably be her eyes. She has brown eyes and they're bright. Her eyelashes are long, too."

"Well, Ross, thanks for chatting with us," Ella says then. "You heard it here, guys! Catch Ross on Disney's _Austin & Ally _on Sundays. You can also buy R5's EP, Loud and _Teen Beach Movie _is also out to DVD already. You're watching Ella Talks."

The buzzer chimes and they both stand up.

"Thanks for coming," Ella says.

"Thanks for having me," Ross smiles. The two hug for a moment. "I wish I could stay, but I have to go. Lots of things to do today, unfortunately," he lies.

"Of course, have a good one," she smiles, waving as he leaves.

He sighs and walks to his car, hands shoved in his pockets. He pulls out of the driveway and quickly checks his phone. Nothing.

He frowns a little, sad.

He wanted nothing more than for Laura to text him and make his whole day and she wanted nothing more than for him to text her and tell her a bad joke that makes her love him all over again.

They wanted nothing more than to come together as King and Queen of the Raura kingdom because nobody wanted them together more than they wanted to be together. But this wasn't a magical world and there wasn't a kingdom and he wasn't the King.

This place was a prison where Ross and Laura had separate cells, the barrier between them a metaphor for the wall they've built between each other.

They wanted nothing more than to come together like a cheesy movie with far too many clichés and love each other like it was the last thing they'd ever do. But this wasn't a movie. This is life and life is an everlasting parallel.

And parallels never meet.

Parallels never cross.

They take a straight path beside each other to alternate destinations.

Life was their parallel.

And parallels suck.


End file.
